'Bottom of the league and winless since May' - our guide to Tottenham's Europa League opponents Anzhi Makhachkala

Tottenham face a tough trip to Russia as they look to maintain their winning start to their Europa League campaign after beating Tromso 3-0 at White Hart Lane two weeks ago.

Andre Villas-Boas’ side were tipped to dominate throughout and the Norwegian side rarely threatened, allowing Spurs to stroll to a comfortable victory courtesy of a Jermain Defoe brace and a wonder strike from Christian Eriksen.

Spurs’ next opponents, Anzhi Makhachkala, have experienced something of a mass exodus during the summer and currently sit bottom of the Russian Premier League. And with crisis currently unfolding at the Dagestan club, we asked Russian football expert James Appell to share his knowledge on the Russian team.

Danger Man

When Suleiman Kerimov bought the club in January 2011, Anzhi showed themselves to be a financial powerhouse in the transfer market, emerging from the obscure quarters of Russian football to become serious title challengers thanks to Kerimov’s fortune.

Samuel Eto’o’s arrival in 2011 marked a signal of intent to compete on the world stage, along with other high-profile signings such as Yuri Zhirkov and Willian. But their owner’s decision to drastically cut the budget this summer amidst disastrous financial results for his main business Uralkali, has seen the trio depart as well as other top players, and the effect has been devastating to the team.

Appell says he feels Anzhi now have only one player who can make a difference, and that’s a cause for concern as they prepare to welcome a Tottenham side with incredible depth.

“If he plays - and that's not a given, as he's only just returned from injury - Ivorian forward Lacina Traore is Anzhi's only real quality player to speak of. At 6'7" he will obviously cause problems in the air, but additionally, he is an excellent lone forward, skilled at playing with his back to goal.”

Key players

With the foreign stars and even the Russian national team regulars all departing, Anzhi’s squad is difficult to recognise. Aside from youngster Abdul Razak, on loan from Manchester City, it’s clear that the Russian side are lacking the quality to compete at a high level such as the Europa League.

Despite the desperation felt as the quality in the side decreases at an alarming rate, Appell feels the Russian side do have some much-needed steel in the midfield to pit against the likes of Mousa Dembele and Paulinho: “the holding midfield pair of Jucilei and Odil Akhmedov, the last of Anzhi's more expensive purchases, may also catch the eye.”

A weaker team than last year...

With Anzhi generating a whopping total of £118 million from player sales alone, the squad has changed entirely. The speed in which the changes have been made - seven players went to rivals Dinamo Moscow and three opted to join Lokomotiv within two weeks – has simply crippled the club.

Instead of having the attacking options of world-class duo Eto’o and Willian, the club had to make low-profile signings just to make up the numbers, such as Ilya Maksimov, who was brought in from minnows Krylya Sovetov Samara for just £4 million. Compared to the £35 million Anzhi paid Shakhtar to bring in Willian, it’s clear to see the change in transfer strategy.

So it comes to no surprise to see them struggling, and their demise has appeased fans of Russian football, who have consistently opposed the lavish spending by Kerimov since his takeover two years ago.

Appell explains: “Anzhi are bottom of the league without a single win, with practically a whole new squad and manager, and are something of a laughing stock among Russian football fans after all their past talk of ambitions to win trophies. So I think it's fair to say they've been greatly affected - shot to pieces, more accurately - by the recent, sudden mass exodus of stars.”

Recent form

Without a win in their last five matches, it’s a worrying sign given that they haven’t come up against any of the bigger sides such as Dinamo Moscow or Zenit St. Petersburg. Only a last-gasp equaliser from Pavel Solomitin saved a precious point with a 2-2 draw against Tom Tomsk, and a poor performance in the 0-0 stalemate against Sheriff Tiraspol highlights the extent of their fall from grace.

In spite of the cold conditions, Appell says that Spurs will be expected to win on Thursday: “The club have just six points from their first 11 games, and haven't actually won a match since May 20. If Spurs do get beaten in Russia on Thursday it won't be because of the quality of the opposition.”

Predicted line-up

Anzhi will line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 setup, with Traore the main focal point if he is fit enough to play.